He cited al-Qaeda and 9/11 when he dismissed a lawsuit brought by the American Civil Liberties Union challenging the NSA’s surveillance program.

Paley said the NSA program “represents the government’s counter-punch” to al-Qaeda. Despite recent evidence to the contrary, Paley also said violating the rights of millions of Americans prevents terror attacks.

Geoffrey Stone[3], a University of Chicago law professor who is a member of a White House panel established to investigate NSA violations unearthed by the whistleblower Edward Snowden, said last week evidence that massive surveillance stops terrorist attacks is “very thin.”

Obama insists that lives have been saved by violating the Fourth Amendment and the conclusions of the panel handpicked by his administration reveal deep skepticism of the NSA program’s efficacy.

Paley said the government “adapted to confront a new enemy: a terror network capable of orchestrating attacks across the world.”